Digital Transition and Home Education: challenges and opportunities for psychological intervention

The 21st century is being marked by a series of significant changes in educational practices that are having a profound impact on psychological intervention. These changes are driving the genesis of an innovative era of personalized, digital, and accessible education. Individualization is the tendency to adapt teaching to the individual needs of students. Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform education and can be used to personalize teaching, automate routine tasks, and assess student performance. It is true that there are obvious constraints and that it is a challenge to carry out psychological intervention in a “distance” school context, Psychologists must maintain coordinated and shared planning with the other educational actors, the emphasis on preventive and multilevel interventions and management of priorities that respect their technical and scientific autonomy. The Psychologist's support is particularly important in situations that involve (i) entry into schooling (including the analysis of requests for postponement/anticipation), (ii) cycle transition, (iii) change of educational establishment; or (iv) access and entry into Higher Education, especially if we consider that after the situation of isolation at home, the return to school/higher education institution may occur through the abrupt interruption of academic activities and attendance at an educational establishment only to, months later, return to a different space and educational establishment, often unaccompanied by their colleagues and friends. It will be important, for example, to promote literacy about transition and adaptation to change; create a dedicated space, inside or outside distance learning activities, to work on this life topic with students and families who are in this situation; build and share other digital or material resources; or intervention from the areas of action already mentioned. The guiding question of this study was: What are the challenges and what are the opportunities of the digital transition for home education? The aim of this work was to investigate how the digital transition can affect home education and identify the trends and challenges of home education in the context of the digital transition. The research was carried out in four databases with combinations of the words digital transition, home education, digital technologies, curriculum, regulation, psychological intervention. We consider 25 articles published in international scientific journals between January 2007 and September 2022, two books and two documents of a normative nature, authored by the American government. All articles met the inclusion criteria. The documents were described, and the content was systematized in a meta-synthesis. The study detailed here carries out the analysis of how the adoption of digital technologies in schools and families can have an impact on the way in which home education is carried out, identifying the challenges and opportunities of this transition, such as the need for training parents and educators, the adequacy of curricula and the regulation of home education and investigates how home education is evolving in the context of the digital transition. Implications for psychological intervention are presented

Management of Consumers Embraces Drone Delivery

Over the past few years, significant progress has been made in the field of drone technology, leading to its implementation and transformation in various industries. As technology has improved, drones have become increasingly adaptable to numerous tasks, such as delivering packages right to customers’ front doors. As the need for swift and reliable delivery options increases, drone delivery is an option that businesses and consumers alike should consider. This paper studies the underlying factors that influence consumers’ intentions to adopt drone delivery services in Portugal. A quantitative methodology was used, and 155 responses were collected from Portuguese citizens. The findings indicate that perceived usefulness, perceived privacy risk, and attitudes serve as key predictors of user behavioural intentions among individuals in Portugal. Moreover, they highlight that perceived usefulness and perceived privacy risks exert an indirect influence on behavioural intentions through attitudes. Consequently, the comprehensive analysis underscores the significant impact of perceived usefulness on behavioural intentions, with attitudes and perceived privacy risks closely behind. The study uncovers new insights into consumer adoption of drone delivery services. This finding suggests that promoting the advantages of drone technology, emphasising its usefulness, efficiency, and convenience in advertising, can positively impact consumer perception and willingness to adopt. Furthermore, this study indicates that addressing potential consumer concerns about drone delivery, such as privacy, safety, and reliability, is essential. Clear communication about the measures taken to ensure these aspects can mitigate apprehensions and enhance acceptance. Governments play a crucial role in regulating drones to increase trust, protect users, and promote a favourable environment for adoption. Public awareness campaigns led by governments can educate citizens about the benefits and safe use of drones. Transparent communication about regulatory measures, safety features, and the positive impacts of drone technology on society can demystify drones and build public trust

Siamese Autoencoder Architecture for the Imputation of Data Missing Not at Random

Missing data is an issue that can negatively impact any task performed with the available data and it is often found in real-world domains such as healthcare. One of the most common strategies to address this issue is to perform imputation, where the missing values are replaced by estimates. Several approaches based on statistics and machine learning techniques have been proposed for this purpose, including deep learning architectures such as generative adversarial networks and autoencoders. In this work, we propose a novel siamese neural network suitable for missing data imputation, which we call Siamese Autoencoder-based Approach for Imputation (SAEI). Besides having a deep autoencoder architecture, SAEI also has a custom loss function and triplet mining strategy that are tailored for the missing data issue. The proposed SAEI approach is compared to seven state-of-the-art imputation methods in an experimental setup that comprises 14 heterogeneous datasets of the healthcare domain injected with Missing Not At Random values at a rate between 10% and 60%. The results show that SAEI significantly outperforms all the remaining imputation methods for all experimented settings, achieving an average improvement of 35%. This work is an extension of the article Siamese Autoencoder-Based Approach for Missing Data Imputation presented at the International Conference on Computational Science 2023. It includes new experiments focused on runtime, generalization capabilities, and the impact of the imputation in classification tasks, where the results show that SAEI is the imputation method that induces the best classification results, improving the F1 scores for 50% of the used datasets

A Validação Portuguesa do Questionário de Cidades e Comunidades Amigas das Pessoas Mais Velhas (AFCCQ-PT)

Este banco de dados apresenta os resultados de um estudo que produziu e validou a versão portuguesa do Questionário de Cidades e Comunidades Amigas dos Idosos (AFCCQ), através da sua aplicação a uma amostra de pessoas mais velhas residentes em Coimbra. O questionário foi concebido para avaliar a ‘amigabilidade’ de cidades e comunidades, com base nas experiências e percepções das pessoas mais velhas. Tem o intuito de informar a formulação de políticas urbanas e sociais e iniciativas da sociedade civil para os mais velhos, podendo servir de referência para pesquisadores e profissionais dedicados ao envelhecimento e criação de comunidades inclusivas em contexto urbano. Compõe-se de 23 itens, relativos a 9 domínios (Transportes, Habitação, Participação social, Respeito e inclusão social, Participação cívica e emprego, Comunicação e informação, Apoio comunitário e serviços de saúde, Edifícios e espaços exteriores, e Situação financeira), que reflectem o documento fundacional da Organização Mundial de Saúde, Global Age-Friendly Cities: A Guide, publicado em 2007. O banco de dados inclui informações demográficas e pontuações para os 23 itens. Pesquisadores e profissionais interessados na consulta dos dados, deverão preencher o formulário e enviá-lo para [email protected], para análise. | This database presents the results of a study that produced and validated the Portuguese version of the Age-Friendly Cities and Communities Questionnaire (AFCCQ), by applying it to a sample of older people living in Coimbra. The questionnaire was designed to evaluate the age-friendliness of cities and communities based on older people's experiences and perceptions. It intends to inform the formulation of urban and social policies and civil society initiatives for older people, and it can serve as a reference for researchers and professionals dedicated to ageing and the creation of inclusive communities in an urban context. It consists of 23 items relating to 9 domains (Transportation, Housing, Social participation, Respect and social inclusion, Civic participation and employment, Communication and information, Community support and health services, Outdoor spaces and buildings, and Financial situation), which reflect the World Health Organisation's foundational document Global Age-Friendly Cities: A Guide, launched in 2007. The database includes demographic information and scores for the 23 items. Researchers and professionals interested in consulting the data should fill in the form and send it to [email protected] for analysis

The Journey of Travestis and Transgender Women in Constituting Themselves and Entering in Formal Work Positions

O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar como a constituição discursiva das identidades transgênero femininas influencia na sua entrada no mercado de trabalho. A pesquisa qualitativa crítica foi desenvolvida a partir de entrevistas com travestis e mulheres transgênero (autoidentificadas) que trabalham ou já trabalharam em serviços de telemarketing, localizadas a partir de uma informante-chave e da técnica de bola de neve. Os dados foram analisados a partir das relações entre texto, prática discursiva e prática social, tomando por base definições da Análise Crítica do Discurso (ACD). Como resultados do trabalho, foi possível perceber que a atividade laboral no telemarketing possibilita que a voz se desprenda do corpo, que se apaga e, assim, também são apagadas – momentâneo e circunstancialmente – as práticas sociais discriminatórias. Nesta direção, a proposta emancipatória de reivindicar a voz fora desses espaços auxiliaria na eliminação da condição de latência da discriminação. A análise também permitiu a reflexão de como a constituição das identidades transgênero – na crítica do que hierarquiza seus corpos e vidas como inferiores – também tem transformado o social. A dialética desta relação aponta a fluidez das identidades transgênero e os aspectos que as inferiorizavam têm sido reinterpretados. | The objective of this work was to analyze how the discursive constitution of female transgender identities influences their entry into the formal job market. Critical qualitative research was developed based on interviews with transvestites and transgender women (self-identified) who work or have worked in telemarketing services, located using a key informant and the snowball technique. The data were analyzed based on the relationships between text, discursive practice and social practice, based on definitions from Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). As a result of the work, it was possible to perceive that the work activity in telemarketing allows the voice to be detached from the body, which is erased and, thus, discriminatory social practices are also erased – momentarily and circumstan tially. In this sense, the emancipatory proposal of claiming a voice outside these spaces would help eliminate the condition of latency of discrimination. The analysis also allowed reflection on how the constitution of transgender identities – in the criticism of what hierarchizes their bodies and lives as inferior – has also transformed society. The dialectic of this relationship highlights the fluidity of transgender identities and the aspects that made them inferior have been reinterpreted

Contributo de Condições Clínicas e de Estratégias de Regulação Emocional para a Sintomatologia Depressiva em Doentes com Neurodegeneração: um modelo preliminar

Introdução: Doenças com condições clínicas neurodegenerativas (DCCNs) afetam pessoas com idades variadas, são crónicas, podem apresentar um curso progressivo e ser bastante debilitantes. A depressão tende a coocorrer com as DCCNs. Todavia, é escasso o conhecimento empírico sobre o efeito conjunto de condições clínicas decorrentes da neurodegeneração e de estratégias de regulação emocional disfuncionais na explicação da sintomatologia depressiva em doentes com neurodegeneração. Objetivos: Analisar um modelo preliminar, no qual a incapacidade global, dor neuropática, fadiga (condições clínicas resultantes da neurodegeneração), dificuldade em identificar sentimentos (alexitimia) e supressão de pensamento (estratégias de regulação emocional disfuncionais) explicam conjuntamente a sintomatologia depressiva em doentes com DCCNs. Método: Este estudo transversal incluiu 163 doentes diagnosticados com DCCNs e 189 indivíduos da população geral sem DCCNs, ambos sem outras patologias do foro neurológico. Foram administrados os seguintes instrumentos de autorresposta: um questionário sociodemográfico e clínico, Escala de Depressão da Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21, World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule-12 itens, Escalas Analógicas Visuais do Pain Detect Questionnaire e da Fadiga, Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, White Bear Suppression Inventory. Resultados: Os sintomas depressivos e a totalidade das suas potenciais variáveis explicativas diferenciaram-se estatisticamente entre os participantes com e sem DCCNs. Na amostra com DCCNs, as potenciais variáveis explicativas dos sintomas depressivos correlacionaram-se com estes e relevaram-se regressores significativos de tais sintomas em modelos de regressão linear simples. Os referidos resultados permitiram selecionar a dor neuropática, fadiga, incapacidade global, dificuldade em identificar sentimentos e supressão de pensamento como covariáveis do modelo de regressão linear múltipla. Neste modelo multivariado, fadiga, incapacidade global e dificuldades em identificar sentimentos (alexitimia) explicaram conjunta e significativamente 51.7% da variância da sintomatologia depressiva e os seus coeficientes de regressão estandardizados positivos indicaram que quando estas variáveis aumentaram, aumentaram os sintomas depressivos nos indivíduos com DCCNs. Discussão: Os resultados forneceram evidências preliminares para a clínica e para a investigação sobre a relevância de ser considerado o contributo conjunto de condições clínicas resultantes da neurodegeneração e de estratégias mal adaptativas de regulação emocional como variáveis que podem aumentar a vulnerabilidade à depressão em pessoas com DCCNs, concretamente, a fadiga, a incapacidade global e a dificuldades em identificar sentimentos relacionada com a alexitimia. Estas variáveis devem ser consideradas nos tratamentos da depressão nos referidos doentes. | Introduction: Diseases with neurodegenerative clinical conditions (DNCCs) affect people of varying ages, are chronic, can have a progressive course and can be very debilitating. Depression tends to co-occur with DNCCs. However, there is little empirical knowledge about the joint effect of clinical conditions resulting from neurodegeneration and dysfunctional emotional regulation strategies in explaining depressive symptoms in patients with neurodegeneration. Objectives: To analyze a preliminary model in which global disability, neuropathic pain, fatigue (clinical conditions resulting from neurodegeneration), difficulty in identifying feelings (alexithymia) and thought suppression (dysfunctional emotional regulation strategies) jointly explain depressive symptoms in patients with DNCCs. Method: This cross-sectional study included 163 patients diagnosed with DNCCs and 189 individuals from the general population without DNCCs, both without other neurological pathologies. The following self-administered instruments were administered: a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire, Depression Scale, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21, World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule-12 items, Pain Detect Questionnaire and Fatigue Visual Analogue Scales, Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, White Bear Suppression Inventory. Results: Depressive symptoms and all their potential explanatory variables differed statistically between participants with and without DNCCs. In the sample with DNCCs, the potential explanatory variables of depressive symptoms correlated with them and were significant regressors of such symptoms in simple linear regression models. These results made it possible to select neuropathic pain, fatigue, global disability, difficulty identifying feelings and thought suppression as covariates in the multiple linear regression model. In this multivariate model, fatigue, general disability and difficulty identifying feelings (alexithymia) jointly and significantly explained 51.7% of the variance in depressive symptomatology and their positive standardized regression coefficients indicated that when these variables increased, depressive symptoms increased in individuals with DNCCs. Discussion: The results provided preliminary evidence for the clinic and for research into the relevance of considering the joint contribution of clinical conditions resulting from neurodegeneration and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies as variables that can increase vulnerability to depression in people with DNCCs, specifically fatigue, general disability and difficulties in identifying feelings related to alexithymia. These variables should be considered when treating depression in these patients

Relationship between Parenting and Involvement in Play: study with parents of children aged 3 to 10 years old

Objetivos: As práticas parentais são influenciadas pelos estilos educativos e pelas atribuições parentais sobre a responsabilidade do comportamento infantil que, consequentemente, impactam na qualidade e no envolvimento no brincar, essencial ao desenvolvimento. Esta investigação teve o propósito de estudar a relação entre a parentalidade exercida por pais e mães com filhos dos 3 aos 10 anos e o seu envolvimento no brincar. Para tal, pretendeu-se: caracterizar variáveis relacionadas com a parentalidade e o brincar; analisar as diferenças nas práticas e atribuições parentais em função da relação, do tempo de qualidade e da atitude ao pedido para brincar; estudar a associação entre o comportamento e atribuições parentais acerca da responsabilidade do comportamento dos filhos. Método: A amostra foi constituída por 102 participantes, 62 mães (M = 35,21 anos) e 40 pais (M = 37,17 anos). Os participantes preencheram questionários de autorresposta que avaliaram a Interação e Vínculo Afetivo entre pais e filhos, o Envolvimento no Brincar, Comportamentos Parentais (Inventário de Comportamentos Parentais) e Atribuições Parentais Face ao Comportamento Infantil (Parent Cognition Scale). Resultados: Ao analisar as diferenças entre pais e mães em função das práticas parentais, os resultados mostram que as mães adotam uma abordagem mais positiva na parentalidade. Identificaram-se diferenças na parentalidade positiva e nas atribuições de responsabilidade em função da qualidade da relação, do tempo de qualidade passado com o filho e da atitude ao pedido de brincar. As pontuações entre pais e mães são semelhantes, no entanto as mães destacam-se no tempo de qualidade diário passado com os filhos. Conclusão: Os resultados destacam a importância do envolvimento parental na modulação dos comportamentos parentais e perceções de responsabilidade no desenvolvimento dos filhos, e consequente impacto no envolvimento no brincar. Todavia, importa referir que não é possível afirmar a total direção das associações encontradas, pois podem existir influências bidirecionadas entre as variáveis em estudo. Contudo, os pais podem beneficiar de programas de educação parental promotores de práticas parentais positivas que melhorem a qualidade geral da relação com os filhos. | Objectives: Parental practices are influenced by educational styles and parental attributions regarding the responsibility of children's behavior which, consequently, impact the quality and involvement in play, essential for development. This research aimed to study the relationship between parenting carried out by fathers and mothers with children aged 3 to 10 years and their involvement in playing. To this end, the objective was to: characterize variables related to parenting and playing; analyze the differences in parental practices and responsibilities depending on the relationship, quality time and attitude to the request to play; study the association between behavior and parental attributions regarding the responsibility for their children's behavior. Method: The sample consisted of 102 participants, 62 mothers (M = 35.21 years) and 40 fathers (M = 37.17 years). Participants completed self-response questionnaires that assessed Interaction and Affective Bond between parents and children, Involvement in Play, Parental Behaviors (Parental Behavior Inventory) and Parental Attributions in the Face of Child Behavior (Parent Cognition Scale). Results: When analyzing the differences between fathers and mothers depending on parenting practices, the results show that mothers adopt a more positive approach to parenting. Differences in positive parenting and attributions of responsibility were identified depending on the quality of the relationship, the quality time spent with the child and the attitude towards the request to play. Scores between fathers and mothers are similar, however, mothers stand out in terms of daily quality time spent with their children. Conclusion: The results highlight the importance of parental involvement in modulating parental behaviors and perceptions of responsibility in their children's development, and the consequent impact on play. However, it is important to note that it is not possible to state the full direction of the associations found, as there may be bidirectional influences between the variables under study. However, parents can benefit from parental education programs that promote positive parenting practices that improve the overall quality of the relationship with their children

Promoting Teachers’ Wellbeing Using a Compassionate Mind Training Intervention: exploring mechanisms of change

Objectives The current study aimed to examine the mechanisms of change of a compassionate mind training intervention for teachers (CMT-T). In particular, we examined whether changes in the three flows of compassion, fears of compassion, and emotions at work (safe, drive, and threat) mediated the effects of the CMT-T in burnout, depression, anxiety, and stress, and in overall positive affect. Methods As part of a two-arm randomized controlled trial and a stepped-wedge design, the study included all participants who completed the 8-week CMT-T intervention either at Time 1 or at Time 2 (n = 103). At pre- and post-intervention, participants completed measures of compassion, fears of compassion, emotional climate in the workplace, burnout, psychopathological symptoms, and positive affect. Results Mediation analyses revealed that increases in the flows of compassion and reductions in fears of compassion from others mediated the effects of CMT-T on teachers' depression, anxiety, stress, and burnout levels. In the case of the reduction in stress symptoms from pre- to post-intervention, compassion for self, fears of self-compassion, and fears of receiving compassion from others emerged as significant mediators of this change. The three flows of compassion and fears of compassion (for self and from others) were significant mediators of the impact of CMT-T on changes in teachers’ anxiety levels from baseline to post-intervention. A decrease in fears of compassion from others and an increase in drive emotions mediated changes in depressive symptoms following CMT-T. Concerning burnout, all flows of compassion and fear of compassion from others mediated the changes from baseline to post-intervention. Changes in positive affect following CMT-T were mediated by increases in the flows of compassion, and emotions related to soothing-safeness and drive systems in the workplace. Serial mediational models showed that the effect of CMT-T on teachers’ burnout was partially mediated by reductions in fears of compassion (for self and from others) and stress. Conclusions CMT-T effectively improves teachers’ wellbeing and reduces burnout and psychological distress through the cultivation of their ability to experience, direct, and be open to compassion, and the strengthening of the soothing-safeness and the drive systems in the school context. Preregistration The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: identifier, NCT05107323; Compassionate Schools: Feasibility and Effectiveness Study of a Compassionate Mind Training Program to Promote Teachers Wellbeing

Modeling Inter‑organizational Business Process Governance in the Age of Collaborative Networks

Collaborative networks require inter-organizational business process governance (IO-BPG) mechanisms to define ownership over shared resources and activities, accountability over operations, inter-organizational roles and responsibilities, and strategic partner alignment. We developed an IO-BPG modeling approach aiming to incorporate (1) IT governance activities (e.g., IT performance measurement), (2) data governance activities (e.g., data strategy management), and (3) “shadow” parallel governance-related operations. Resulting from a design science research project, our contributions include the building blocks (domain attributes, ontology, and requirements) of a novel BPMN extension, its demonstration in logistics operations, its evaluation, and design principles to guide IO-BPG modeling. Suggestions for the development and evaluation of future BPMN extensions are also highlighted based on the lessons learned in this project. For practitioners, our contribution can improve accountability reports over data assets and operations, identify dataset ownership, assist in the coordination of governance activities in networked businesses, and comply with regulations and strategic partnership agreements

eLIFEwithIBD: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of an online acceptance and commitment therapy and compassion-based intervention in inflammatory bowel disease

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) entails physical, psychological, and social burden and holds a significant impact on quality of life. Experiential avoidance, cognitive fusion, shame, and self-criticism have been identified as possible therapeutic targets for improving mental health in people with IBD. Traditional face-to-face psychological therapy continues to provide obstacles for patients seeking assistance. Online psychological therapies centered on acceptance, mindfulness, and compassion have been shown to improve psychological distress in other populations. Objective: This paper presents the study protocol of a two-arm Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) of an ACT and compassion-based, online intervention – eLIFEwithIBD - on the improvement of psychological distress, quality of life, work and social functioning, IBD symptom perception, illness-related shame, psychological flexibility, and self-compassion. Methods: The eLIFEwithIBD intervention is an adaptation of the LIFEwithIBD programme (delivered through an in-person group format) and entails an ACT, mindfulness, and compassion-based intervention designed to be delivered as an e-health tool for people with IBD. This protocol outlines the structure and contents of the eLIFEwithIBD intervention. Participants were recruited by an advertisement on the social media platforms of Portuguese Associations for IBD in January 2022. A psychologist conducted a brief interview with 80 patients who were interested in participating. Fifty-five participants were selected and randomly assigned to one of two conditions [experimental group (eLIFEwithIBD + medical TAU; n = 37) or control group (medical TAU; n = 18)]. Outcome measurement took place at baseline, post-intervention, and 4-month follow up. All analyses are planned as intent-to-treat (ITT). Results: The eLIFEwithIBD intervention is expected to empower people with IBD by fostering psychological strategies that promote illness adjustment and well-being and prevent subsequent distress. The eLIFEwithIBD aims to gain a novel and better understanding of the role of online contextual behavioral interventions on improving the quality of life and mental health of people with IBD